July 3, 2007 The humble spark plug is an engineering solution that has now stood the test of over 100 years production. One of the earliest patents for the spark plug was taken out by Robert Bosch in 1898, and the Bosch company was the first to produce the commercially viable high-voltage spark plug that made internal combustion engines possible. A century later, as an extraordinary 10 billionth spark plug rolls off the Bosch production line, the company has become a global powerhouse with interests in automotive parts and systems, power tools, building, packaging and safety, not to mention the invention of ABS braking and traction control systems. And with Bosch fuel injection feeding both the Audi and Peugeot diesel racecars that finished first and second at Le Mans, the company seems set to play a key role in the high-powered, fuel-efficient second coming of the diesel engine - and it's all built on the success of the modest spark plug.